4. CHANGING SOCIETY

To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation.

a) To transform unjust structures of society

This idea asks us to think more widely and look more at the big picture. Serving God is not just a matter of feeding the hungry, but of working towards a society where there is no hunger. Following God is not just a matter of helping the homeless, but of seeking a world where everyone has a home.

This leads us to address big political issues, such as inequality, a living wage, employment rights, and fair trade.

The photograph in the top banner is of women sitting down in protest, and was taken by Maruf Rahman from Dhaka in Bangladesh.

Let us think about the example of Jesus. He lived in this world but insisted that he was not of this world. He turned away from riches and honour to embrace the role of a servant. He called the poor “blessed,” and sought out the outcasts and strangers. He reminded his followers that the first would be last and the last first, and that the greatest among them would be the servants of all. By his words and his actions, he consistently “brought down the powerful” and “lifted up the lowly.”

To ponder:

Are you aware of ways in which you benefit, or have benefited, from unjust structures?

Can you think of ways to change this?

B) TO CHALLENGE VIOLENCE OF EVERY KIND

We see violence in many places. There is violence in wars between nations, or civil wars between those in the same nation but of different religions or tribes. There is domestic violence in couples or families which damages the lives of so many. There are people attacked on the street because they are different - due to race, colour, or sexual orientation, seen as “other”, not like us.

But how do we challenge violence? We can work to encourage bother ourselves and those around us to see all people as one of us, and not “other”. We can protest against violence where we see it and stand up for what is right, without resorting to violence ourselves. This can be very difficult.

In Myanmar, the Guardian reports that a poet Khet Thi recently died following being interrogated. “I don’t want to be a hero, I don’t want to be a martyr, I don’t want to be a weakling, I don’t want to be a fool” he wrote two weeks after the coup. “I don’t want to support injustice. If I have only a minute to live, I want my conscience to be clean for that minute”.

More recently he wrote that he was a guitar player, a cake baker, and a poet - not some-one who could fire a gun. “My people are being shot and I can only throw back poems” he wrote. I wonder how we would react in that situation.

To ponder:

Are you aware of people you see as “other”, not like you? What can you do about it?

Where do you see violence? What can you do to challenge it?

Are there ways in which you are violent, or accept violence as normal?

C) To pursue peace and reconciliation

We are asked not just to challenge the negative, but to work towards the positive of peace and reconciliation. This is also broader because we are working to reconcile and bring to peace those who disagree, not just those who have turned to violence.

Following a trip to the Holy Land, we (Martin and Tina Clay) were introduced to the work of Musalaha which is a ministry of reconciliation. It started with working with Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians, bringing together people on opposite political sides, but both with a belief in Jesus, and has expanded to include those of other religions too. Martin was able to go on a desert trip with young people from different backgrounds, and I ( Tina) am Treasurer of Musalaha UK, a small charity both raising funds and supporting their work.

In his book Journey through the Storm, Salim J Munayer quotes Paul’s passage in Ephesians 2.11-22. “So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, … were at that time without Christ, … and strangers to the covenants of promise. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law … so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father...”

Salim writes: “Too often, group relationships contain denial and rejection of the other’s identity., as one group demands that the other submit or conform to its wishes. Aspects of culture, heritage and history are suppressed because they clash or make one side uncomfortable. In Ephesians, Paul says to bring your identity with you to the cross because it is transformed in Jesus to create a new community of the people of God, where each person contributes from the richness of his or her identity.”

To ponder:

Where can you see that peace and reconciliation are needed?

What’s the one small thing you can do today to pursue peace and reconciliation?

How have you seen the power of God bringing about peace and reconciliation?

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

PRAYER

We pray for the world, especially where there is trouble and suffering, far away or nearby, thinking particularly of Myanmar, the Holy Land, those suffering from domestic violence and those subject to violence because they are seen as different.

Ember of steadfast care, fuel our passion to challenge injustice and violence and to pursue peace and reconciliation

Lord, let the fire of your goodness and justice burn into us and through us, that we may seek to transform the unjust structures of society. Let your glory fill this place, Let your glory fill this world.

Amen

This page was prepared by Tina Clay.